“Better?” he asks.
“Mmhm.”
I appraise him. Shirtless. Muscled. Gleaming. He’s gorgeous. I worship his body and his skin is wonderfully hot to the touch. I run my palms down the strong chest, down his stomach,down.He’s still in his sweatpants, and I run my fingers over the swollen outline of his cock, drawing over the tip of him, where the fabric has gone dark and wet.
“Oh,” I bite my lip. “You’re soakedeverywhere. Did you…cum in your pants?”
His voice is full of grit. “Yes.”
“Just from eating me?”
“It was a surprise for me, too.”
Knowing the effect I have on him…it’s a rush. He cups my face, his thumb tracing the edge of my smile. I hook my fingers over the waistband of his pants, feeling the soft hairs on his tummy. His abdomen goes tight in response.
“When was the last time you got off?” I ask.
His mouth pinches downwards, like the answer is obvious. “What’s the point if you’re not there?”
Goddess above. I almost drop to my knees and reward this man for his obstinate, unshakeable loyalty. Instead, I drop my forehead against his. For a second, we just breathe together. Our breath and heartbeats slow together, bodies settling.
“I haven’t either,” I confess suddenly. “Brody never made me cum. Not once. I tried, but I couldn’t. Not without you. You’d…trained me too well.”
Phantom doesn’t respond right away, but I can hear the gears in his brain working. “Clementines…they don’t really cure sub-drop,” he tells me.
“What?”
“They’re good for you, sure. But it’s a placebo effect. If I tell people this fruit will help them through a drop, and they believe it, sometimes…when someone is at their lowest, it works. It’s the same with training you. I never hypnotized you. You came on command because you trusted me. Your body felt safe. If you couldn’t with him…that had nothing to do with me.”
I turn that over in my mind. “So it’s all…what? Just a game?”
He cups my face, directing me to look him in the eyes. “Phantom and Ophelia…they play games that other people don’t understand. But that doesn’t make it any less real. It’s real tome.” He hesitates, then he adds, “Sometimes, it’s theonlything in my life that feels real.”
“Yeah. Mine too.”
There’s a longing between us. Thick. Like a fog. A longing for sex, yes, but also for…more.A deep, indescribable ache that exists when we’re apart, but when we’re together…finally, I feel whole again.
Neither of us seem to want to be the first to pull away.
“We’re having a party at the club on Friday.”
“I know. I saw.”
“Come. I want you there. Not because I asked you to. But because the club needs you.” He drops his forehead against mine. “Not as my submissive. I haven’t earned your trust back. I know that. Come because the club is your home and it misses you.”
“Okay.”
“Yes?” His eyes meet mine. I swear, the gold in them lights up.
I shrug. Casual. Trying not to make a big deal out of it. “You know me. FOMO is real. I can’tnotgo to a Seekers Club party.” I cock my head. “I do have…one condition.”
“Name it.”
“Admit that I won.” His eyebrows knit, confused. “Mancala. That first night…”
He chuckles. “Not going to happen.”
I gasp. “You’re the most bullheaded man I’ve ever met. I’m giving you what you want. On a platter.”
